TKC EXCLUSIVE!!! CONTROVERSIAL CITY HALL AND KCFD RAISES CONFRONT NEW KANSAS CITY COUNCIL AND MAYOR!!!
There was a myth that Mayor Funky helped Kansas City's finances. Thankfully, that urban legend was busted by voters.
But that doesn't mean Kansas City's ongoing financial mess is over.
Mayor Funky's myth of financial prowess was torn apart by his weak budget skills and governance by way of press release. But now some inconvenient facts are coming to light . . .
The budget was balanced on the back of City Hall pensions, they're all pretty much underwater right now and desperately need taxpayer cash to maintain.
Also, massive City Hall layoffs have left KC Proper understaffed . . . Even worse, current City Employees haven't had a raise in 3 years.
And despite backing the losing candidate for Mayor, Local 42 remains an influential force in City Hall.
So . . .
CONTROVERSIAL TALK OF PAY INCREASES TO CITY HALL WORKERS AND THE KCFD HAS NOW GROWN LOUDER!!!
This could be the first major test for the New Council despite the fact that local revenues and the economy remain stagnant. Voters might want to quiz their candidates on this issue before they make their choice . . .
And the possibility that the outgoing City Council and Mayor could play games with local finances is certainly a possibility as well.
Developing . . .
not going to happen.
ReplyDeleteTHIS is why the e-tax will be killed. The firefighters are overpaid and there's too many of them. The politics are that no elected official can solve the problem. So the solution must be forced from the outside.
ReplyDeleteRoeblogger.
ReplyDeleteThis could be a very good early test of whether or not the new administration is going to hve the courage to really bring the change necessary to move KCMO into the 21st Century, or if it's still going to be constant kowtowing to all the same old interest groups, ethnic shouters, and insiders.
ReplyDeleteYou can't just make small adjustments around the edges, there has to be a very basic change in the way the city government works or it will continue to slide.
Let's see how the mayoral candidates campaign in the next few weeks; involving the public or going after the same old names and groups. How you drive is probably where you'll arrive.
Raises? NOBODY in the city, except the city council and anyone who makes a living suing the city, has gotten a raise for 3 years. That includes KCFD. We all took a pay freeze. We work more days for no additional pay. We did this to help the city and that is no joke. This is just sour grapes from another union-hating douche that has some axe to grind with firefighters and EMTs.
ReplyDeleteVote against any candidate that is endorsed by Local 42, which hides behind the name Taxpayers Unlimited.
ReplyDeleteThe are even ashamed to say who they are.
It's time for the Tea Party type activists to stand up and stop the power grabbing Louie Wright and Local 42. Tax payers unite and protest the massive MAST pension and the union wages at KCFD.
ReplyDeleteIt's time for the Tea Party type activists to stand up and stop the power grabbing Louie Wright and Local 42. Tax payers unite and protest the massive MAST pension and the union wages at KCFD.
ReplyDeleteI sure am glad that we do not have Judge Nixon writing ethics opinions in City Hall when I am about to vote for a raise for my husband, his bosses and others that sure the heck are conflicts of interest for me. I hope no one complains to the Missouri Attorney General. Gee I hope that never happens.
ReplyDeleteThat right Louie thinks taxpayers have unlimited amounts of money. Vote NO on Taxpayers Unlimited endorsements.
ReplyDeleteTaxpayers = Local 42 = Louie Wright + Sherwood Smith + Rizzo + Sanders = CORRUPT MFs. Everybody backed or endorsed in association with the above people are out to steal our money.
ReplyDeleteTaxpayers = Local 42 = Louie Wright + Sherwood Smith + Rizzo + Sanders = CORRUPT MFs. Everybody backed or endorsed in association with the above people are out to steal our money.
ReplyDeleteI don't think you locals are paying attention to what's going on. Do you all watch Fox News?
ReplyDeleteThe GOP has Fox blaming the unions for America's troubles but the fact is, there aren't that many union people around.
The problem was the bankers who pissed away and vaporized America's pensions, including yours and mine.
The GOP lies to cover that up because they want Obama's job.
You all must not see what's up in Wisconsin...which is what we've already seen in California even if the media didn't choose to cover it.
That's because California just did it, fired people. No nightly protests. No good video.
Television wouldn't broadcast the second coming of Christ if there was no video.
So we get it in Wisconsin. Every state is in the same position. Lets see how the GOP handles this! I think they're a train wreck and they don't know it yet.
But know this. Federal government can print money, and borrow it. State's can't. They have to PAY as they GO.
So what shall we do? Screw our elderly on Medicaid in nursing homes or screw the kids by firing their small classroom teachers?
Or quit fixing the roads?
What? Unless Jesus H Christ is on the ballot for mayor, nobody's going to fix this without a Xerox machine that can print and pass hundred dollar bills!
And if the 1 percent tax gets voted out (which it won't) it will be even worse.
Just snow plowing... if you can't get to work next year for 3 days, you've already suffered more than the one percent you're paying for the earnings tax!
But you can beat it. Spend $25k for a 4WD SUV and to hell with the snow plows! Still more than the earnings tax is costing us.
If you're a $50,000 earner, you're payin $500 a year. Even in snow removal...how much would 3 days of no pay for being snowed in cost you?
Bout the same. We're all in the same lifeboat. And the seas are getting rougher! Woe is us and hope we like SOUP!
While I do not disagree with some of the posts on Louie Wright and Local 42, the firefighters, police and EMTs have a THANKLESS job and contrary to popular opinion, are not overpaid. If they receive no raise this FY, that's 3 years with nothing. Minus all the smart ass jokes about fine dining, politicking, etc, the public servants who are there day in and out deserve a raise at least once in three years.
ReplyDeleteNo one has to vote to give the FD employees raises. Their contract is quite clear. Key word here is CONTRACT, a legal document that was an agreement between the city and the Union. The contract says that they will forgo the raises for 24 months. Period. So, the raises, by contract, will come in their third year. Now, John Q. Public, if you had a contract with someone and they did not honor it, what would YOU do?
ReplyDeleteWell, what could happen is that if the city can't meet that obligation, they can do what Wisconsin's governor wants to do... cut staff and pay the raise to who's left.
ReplyDeleteAutomakers have done that for years. It'd be interesting to see how the number of fires has changed annually for 30 years and how FD staffing has changed too.
It'll be slightly more complex now with the EMT's rolled in there but what I suspect is that fires are drastically down... given how safer homes are and how fewer people smoke.
ANd I bet by comparison, staffing has not reduced similarly. What are the facts?
The E-Tax is Toast.
ReplyDeleteJust like KCPD spending THOUSANDS on diners, after we voted for the public safety sales tax only to find out that while commanders were wining and dining the detectives don't have cell phones.
What a waste of Taxpayers money and total mis management with NO ONE being held accountable.
WOW 11:09 you guys have a Job.
ReplyDeleteConsider yourself lucky.
And guess what jobs are "thankless" in the private sector too so get over your over inflated sense of being a public employee. I'm an ER nurse and it's a thankless job too hours are long and staff is short due to cut backs but I'm employed. Count your lucky stars.
Stop take home cop cars
ReplyDeleteKCPD just wastes the Public Safety Sales tax.
ReplyDeleteI'm voting no to the E-Tax. Time to put a halt to the government waste.
F@ck Louie Wright and Local 42! He "was given", in a dirty political scheme, 300 MAST employees for his fire department and STILL hasn't delivered on all his promises!! They have been working without any retirement benefits for 10 MONTH'S NOW!
ReplyDeleteLouie promised KCFD firefighter's raises this year because they were about deliver him a vote of no confidence and throw his ass out off office! Let the games begin....
ReplyDeleteLouie promised KCFD firefighter's raises this year because they were about deliver him a vote of no confidence and throw his ass out off office! Let the games begin....
ReplyDeleteFunks gone! Louies next.
ReplyDeleteTo the person who thanked fire, emt, and police, you forgot those city employees who also risk their lives everyday fixing streets, bridges, waterlines, etc. Many of these get killed doing their jobs.
ReplyDeleteThis is the same problem as they're having in Wisconsin.
ReplyDeletePeople out of work, getting their pay and benefits cut, etc., and public employees think they're gonna get raises!
Are you kidding?
5:51, are you an ER nurse at a hospital that accepts medicare and medicaid? If so, then I hope you are not so ignorant to understand that you are little more than a public employee since the vast majority of revenues for hospitals come from taxpayer-funded entitlements.
ReplyDelete5:51, people who say "just be glad you have a job" annoy the hell out of me. This allows employers to treat their people like shit and if those people don't like it, there are mor, with your mentality, waiting to have the job. It is called abuse. Union, while some leaders are evil (Louie Wright), try to prevent those abuses. Fire and EMS are not complaining about the job but about the terrible treatment, the broken promises, and the treatment of those who oppose them. I bet you would stay in an abusive marriage, for the sake of the children, too. He hit me, but then he said he was sorry. Same thing as, at least you have a job.
ReplyDelete9:40
ReplyDelete"the firefighters, police and EMTs have a THANKLESS job and contrary to popular opinion, are not overpaid. If they receive no raise this FY, that's 3 years with nothing"
looks to me like their complaining.
7:38
ReplyDeleteThe former Mast employees have a retirement benefits. It started when you became a City employee----10 months ago.
Plus Mast employees had a retirement while at Mast. Let's double dip at taxpayer expense.
ReplyDeleteYou can't really say no one in City Hall has gotten a raise in 3 years. The City did some "succession planning" just a month or so ago. Deal was the 2-4 best connected employees in each department got a few managerial duties that everybody forgot about right away as a way to get those "important workers" a raise. Check it. Troy fucks the City workers harder than anybody ever has. Why don't we have any investigative journalists in this town? So maybe 40 people got big fat raises this year already.
ReplyDeleteTroy's circle of friends have gotten heffty raises.
ReplyDeleteBTW, his circle of friends are way over their heads.
ReplyDeleteNo wonder morale sucks down at City Hall. I thought the days of cronyism at City Hall were over? Sounds like it is as bad as ever.
ReplyDelete12:37
ReplyDeleteActually, MAST gave it's employees 9% into a 401k. Now...we get no contribution and the city is taking 10% out of our paychecks and putting it into an unknown account without our permission. We run 80% more calls than for this fd but are not allowed in the fire pension. Oh, and we are not allowed in the city workers pension either.
3/1/11 @ 10:38 AM
ReplyDeleteGood catch, although the previous poster never indicated they weren't complaining. I don't think any public sector workers should ever expect raises - screw 'em right? It's their fault they chose to seek public employment!
BTW the correct verbiage is they're not their......you might have learned grammar in a public school funded by tax dollars that paid teachers who never received a raise. Gee, everything is so cyclical, isn't it?
12:37. 10%? Doubtful. Maybe 4 or 5%. You are in the city system and contribute like everyone else did. You are not vested yet as you have 10 months of city employment. If you leave, you get 100% of your contribution. Why should you get a second pension on tax payers dime
ReplyDeleteShitty Hall!
ReplyDelete